Ethnologist Árni Björnsson will guide visitors through the basic exhibition in the National Museum of Iceland at noon on Tuesday and introduce them to pictures of Icelandic saints on display in the museum.
Björnsson discusses many questions in relation to saints, like how they were chosen and what their purpose was. Björnsson also discusses theories on why the Icelandic saints weren’t recognized by the Pope.
Early on, the belief in saints became an important part of Christianity in Iceland, and they may to some extent have replaced the heathen gods.
Saints were popular among the public and with time Icelanders obtained their own saints, Jón Ögmundsson, Thorlákur “the holy” and Gudmundur “the good”.
